What's Behind Dez' Agent Split?
By Mike Fisher | @fishsports
ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) -- Dez Bryant has divorced himself from agent Eugene Parker, as first reported by FOXSports.com, leading to the natural question: Does the budding star who desires a rich contract extension feel acrimony toward the agent ... the team ... or both?
As I noted today on "Ben & Skin,'' Bryant, 25, is increasingly aware of how hands-on he needs to be as his salary swells from the ending to his rookie deal (with a base salary of $1.78 million this season) to what will certainly be eventual earnings that exceed $10 million annually.
"Hands-on'' means knowing where his money is going, trusting the people who help him put it there, and, most immediately, working with him to craft a long-term contract with a Dallas team that he feels completely bonded to.
The Cowboys have been aware of this split from Parker since Oct. 23, and while talks have largely been tabled for the season -- at Dez' public request -- there can be no progress now until Wednesday, when Dez can hire a new agent.
Bryant, 25, believes he's a top-five receiver. The Cowboys don't much argue that. Now, whatever debates the Joneses do have, they'll have with a different agent -- and with Bryant himself, seeking to know more about the process.
Where once Bryant was cocooned by his handlers, now he's grown, with stronger football connections in his own locker room and strong connections in the sports business world, taking him all the way up to Michael Jordan.
There are ways to construct a $100-million deal here, and both sides know it. There is also the commitment to doing something, sometime, to make something like that a reality.
As team COO Stephen Jones said recently, "We are totally committed to making Dez Bryant a Cowboy for life.''
The agent is changing. The commitment isn't.
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